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Q63 (IAS/2024) History & Culture › Culture, Literature, Religion & Philosophy › Ancient and classical literature Official Key

Which one of the following is a work attributed to playwright Bhasa ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The thirteen plays attributed to Bhasa are the earliest dramas in Sanskrit.[1] Among his works, Bhasa, who is considered to be the earliest playwright, has written plays based on the Ramayana and the Mahabharata—Pratima, Abhisheka, Madhyama Vyayoga, Urubhanga, Karnabhara[2]. The Madhyama-vyayoga by Bhasa is cited as the best example of a Vyayoga[3], a type of Sanskrit dramatic composition. In the year 1910, Mahamahopadhyaya T. Ganapathi Shastri of Travancore discovered a collection of 13 plays with a similarity of expression and construction and declared them as the compositions of one single author, Bhasa.[4]

The other options are incorrect: Kavyalankara is a work on poetics (not by Bhasa), Natyashastra is an ancient treatise on performing arts attributed to Bharata Muni[5], and Mahabhashya (along with Nidan sutras) is accepted as the real contribution of Patanjali to the science of medicines[6].

Sources
  1. [2] https://ia801403.us.archive.org/1/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.201510/2015.201510.Indian-Theatre_text.pdf
  2. [4] https://www.sanskrit.nic.in/about_sanskrit.php
  3. [5] https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2402704.pdf
  4. [6] https://www.sanskrit.nic.in/about_sanskrit.php
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Q. Which one of the following is a work attributed to playwright Bhasa ? [A] Kavyalankara [B] Natyashastra [C] Madhyama-vyayoga [D] Maha…
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Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 7.5/10
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A classic 'Elimination by Genre' question. While Bhasa's specific plays are detailed in culture manuals (like Nitin Singhania), the other three options are foundational NCERT facts (Patanjali, Bharata, Bhamaha). You didn't need to know the answer; you needed to know what the answer was NOT.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Is Kavyalankara a work attributed to the playwright Bhasa?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 6: Polity and Society in Post-Mauryan Period > Art and Literature > p. 82
Strength: 4/5
“Large statues of Buddha were sculpted in these caves as a part of the Mahayana tradition, and in later centuries, they were further embellished with murals of extraordinary beauty, as seen in the Ajanta caves. Kanishka was the patron of Buddhist philosophers such as Asvaghosha, Parsva and Vasumitra, as well as the great Buddhist teacher Nagarjuna. Asvaghosha is known for his Buddhacharita and is celebrated as the author of the first Sanskrit play, Sariputraprakarana, in nine acts. The great dramatist Bhasa, whose plays were re-discovered only about a hundred years ago, wrote several important works. Gandhara Art : Situated in the crossroads of cultural influences, Gandhara region was influenced by Greek and Roman culture.”
Why relevant

This snippet identifies Bhasa specifically as a dramatist known for plays (re-discovered, wrote several important works).

How to extend

A student could use this genre-identification to check whether Kavyalankara is a dramatic work (making Bhasa plausible) or a different genre (making attribution to a dramatist less likely).

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > Growing Popularity of Sanskrit > p. 126
Strength: 5/5
“Mahendravarman I composed Mathavilasa Prahasanam in Sanskrit. Two extraordinary works in Sanskrit set the standard for Sanskrit literature in the south: Bharavi's Kiratarjuniya and Dandin's Dashakumaracharita. Dandin of Kanchipuram, author of the great treatise on rhetoric Kavyadarsa, seems to have stayed in Pallava court for some time.”
Why relevant

The snippet cites Dandin as author of Kavyadarsa, described as a treatise on rhetoric — showing that classical Sanskrit authors wrote distinct technical treatises on poetics/rhetoric with titles like 'Kavyadarsa'.

How to extend

A student could note the naming pattern (Kavya‑ + technical title) and compare Kavyalankara's title/genre to known treatises vs plays to assess whether it fits the kind of work usually authored by dramatists like Bhasa.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Secular Literature > p. 99
Strength: 4/5
“Samudragupta himself had established his fame as Kaviraja. It is widely believed that his court was adorned by the celebrated navaratnas like Kalidasa, Amarasimha, Visakadatta and Dhanvantri. Kalidasa's famous dramas are Sakunthalam, Malavikagnimitram and Vikramaurvashiyam. The works of Sudraka (Mrichchhakatika), Visakhadatta (Mudraraksasa and Devichandraguptam) and the lesser known dramatists and writers also contributed to the literary and social values in the classical age.”
Why relevant

This snippet lists prominent dramatists and their specific plays (Kalidasa, Sudraka, Visakhadatta), illustrating that playwrights in classical Sanskrit literature are mainly associated with dramatic compositions rather than poetics treatises.

How to extend

A student could use this pattern to investigate whether Kavyalankara appears in lists/catalogues of plays (where Bhasa's works occur) or in lists of poetics treatises (where different authors like Dandin appear).

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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